Automatic electric line coupler with removable contact unit

ABSTRACT

AN AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR CONNECTING PORTION FOR AN AUTOMATIC RAILWAY CAR COUPLER HAVING COUNTERPART MULTIPLE-CONTACT UNITS IN EACH MATING HEAD OF THE COUPLER AND IN WHICH SAID MULTIPLE-CONTACT UNITS ARE ACCESSIBLY ARRANGED SO AS TO BE REMOVABLE AND REPLACE-   ABLE WITHOUT REMOVOAL OF THE ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR CONNECTING PORTION FROM THE COUPLER MATING HEAD.

Sept. 20,:1971 R. K. FRILL EI'AL 3,606,030

uwomnc nuac'mc mum COUPLER wnn REMOVABLE cou'mc'r UNIT Filed March 13, 1970 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RICHARD KFRILL BY RONALD F. MONZI ATTORNEY KMMWM f Sept. 20, 1971 R. K. FRILL ETAL AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC LINE COUPLER WITH REMOVABLE CONTACT UNIT Filed March 13, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RICHARD K. F RILL.

BY RONALD F. MONZI f ydwwam} ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1971 R. K. FRILL EI'AL 3,606,030

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC LINE COUPLER WITH REMOVABLE CONTACT UNIT Filed March 13, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 rill ll II n Tlllll III Patented Sept. 20, 1971 3,606,030 AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC LINE COUPLER WITH REMOVABLE CONTACT UNIT Richard K. Frill, Pittsburgh, and Ronald F. Monzi, Lower Burrell, Pa, assignors to Westinghoue Air Brake Company, Wilmer-ding, Pa.

Filed Mar. 13, 1970, Ser. No. 19,384 Int. Cl. B6lg /10; B60d 7/00 US. Cl. 213-1.3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The part of the electrical connecting portion of an automatic railway coupler most susceptible to damage is the contact unit which normally comprises a plurality of contacts carried on a support frame in block fashion and of suflicient number for handling all the train circuits. This multiple-contact unit is disposed in the coupler mating head so as to contact and engage, upon coupling of the cars, the multiple-contact unit similarly disposed in the counterpart mating head. An automatic car coupler of the type immediately above described is disclosed in US. Pat. 3,385,454, issued May 28, 1968, to John 8. Elder et a1. and, more specifically, in US. Pat. 3,472,396, issued Oct. 14, 1969, to Richard K. Frill, both said patents being assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

At such time that the multiple-contact unit of the electrical portion of the automatic car coupler needs to be either repaired or replaced, either because of a damaged condition (which might occur as a result of misalignment during coupling action) or because of normal wear, it may be necessary with some couplers to first remove the entire electrical portion from the coupler mating head, then dismantle said electrical portion in order to remove and repair or replace the multiple-contact unit. Due to the nature and extensiveness of the work thus involved in the operation of repairing or replacing the defective multiple-contact unit, the car may have to be towed or returned to a maintenance shop.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an electrical portion for an automatic car coupler in which the multiple-contact unit is so mounted therein as to be readily accessible, removable, and replaceable directly from the face of the coupler head without removing said electrical portion from the coupler mating head and without having to dismantle it.

Briefly, the invention resides in an improved electrical connecting portion of an automatic railway car coupler, said electrical connecting portion comprising a casing secured to the coupler head and in which a multiple-contact unit is operatively mounted. The multiple-contact unit, which comprises several blocks or modules of contact elements, is carried by a support frame slidably mounted in the casing. Each block or module is made up of a prescribed number (corresponding to the number of train wires) of identical, interlocking contact elements and is frictionally engaged by a corresponding number of contact elements (to which the train wires are connected) arranged on a block fixed in the support frame. A look frame is removably secured to the support frame for locking the contact module in position and thereby preventing unintentional dislodgement or displacement thereof. By removing several screws from the lock frame and then the frame itself, any of the contact modules may be severally and manually withdrawn from the face or front side of the electrical portion of the coupler mating head for repair or replacement without removing said electrical portion from the coupler head.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a plan view, generally in outline with certain portions in section, of a multiplecontact unit for the electrical portion of an automatic railway car coupler embodying the invention; FIG. 2 is an elevational front view, in outline, of the multiplecontact unit shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an elevational side view, partly in section, of the electrical portion of an automatic railway car coupler with the multiplecontact unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 installed therein, said section being taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; FIG. 4 is a plan view, in outline, of the multiple contact unit shown in FIG. 1 in modified form; FIG. 5 is an elevational front view, in outline, of the modified form shown in FIG. 4; and FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view, in section, of a detail of the modified form shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION Since a detailed description of the entire electrical connecting portion of an automatic car coupler is not deemed essential to an understanding of the present invention, and since reference may be had to the aforementioned patents, said electrical connecting portion, other than those components embodying the invention, will be described very briefly.

FIG. 3 of the drawings shows an electrical connecting portion 1 of the mating head (not shown) of an automatic car coupler (not shown) on which said connecting portion is supported in suitable manner and position for contacting and engaging an oppositely disposed connecting portion (not shown) of a counterpart mating head (not shown) of the car coupler. The electrical connecting portion 1 comprises a casing 2, in which a multiplecontact unit 3 is encased, and -a protective cover 4, which, in the uncoupled condition of the coupler, occupies a closed position, in which it is shown in FIG. 3, for protecting the contact unit when not in use. An operating member 5, when contacted by the counterpart mating head (not shown) during coupling operation, automatically effects operation of the cover 4, through a system of levers (not shown), downwardly and underneath the casing 2 to an unobstructing open position in which it is shown in phantom outline in FIG. 3 and in which the contact unit 3 is exposed for engaging the counterpart contact unit which is exposed simultaneously in similar fashion. Train wires only two of which, 6 and 7, are shown in FIG. 1, making up the various electrical train circuits are brought into the electrical portion 1 through a sealed conduit 8 (see FIG. 3) located at the rear of said electrical portion, said train wires being connected to respective contact elements 9 and 10 (see FIG. 1) comprising a part of the contact unit 3.

The multiple-contact unit 3 comprises afixed base block 11 secured in vertical transverse relation to a support frame 12 which, as previously indicated, is slidably and resiliently mounted in the casing 2 to provide limited axial movement thereof in opposite directions parallel to the axis of the car and thereby shock-absorbing action of the contact units during coupling operation and engagement of the contact portions, and to provide positive snapacting separation of the contact units for preventing arcing therebetween during uncoupling operation. As best seen in FIG. 1, the base block 11 is provided with a plurality of the contact elements 9 and 10 arranged in symmetrical patterns on said base block, said contact elements having respective female ends 13 and 14 opening to the rear face of said base block for receiving male plugs 15 and 16 fixed to the respective ends of the wires 6 and 7. The contact elements are also provided with male ends 17 and 18 projecting from the opposite or front face of the block for a purpose to be hereinafter disclosed. It will be noted that wire 6 and contact element 9 are smaller than wire 7 and contact element 10, said smaller wires and contacts being used for the electrical train circuits carrying the smaller currents, while the larger wires and contacts are provided for heavier electrical power loads.

The multiple-contact unit 3 further comprises, according to the invention, a plurality of removable blocks or modules, two of which are designated with the same reference numeral 19 and the other two being designated with the same reference numeral 20. The modules 19 comprises a plurality of smaller contact elements 21, while the modules 20 comprise a plurality of larger contact elements 22, the number and arrangement of said smaller and larger contact elements being such as to correspond to the number and pattern arrangement of the smaller and larger contact elements 9 and 10, respectively, of the base block 11. In this instance, the modules 19 made up of the smaller elements 21 are arranged side-by-side adjacent the center of the contact unit 3, while the modules 20 made up of the larger elements 22 are disposed on opposite sides of said modules 19 adjacent the lateral extremities of said contact unit.

Each of the contact elements 21 and 22, which are a standard commercial type, comprises a plastic casing having self-locking tongues and grooves arranged exteriorly on each side thereof so that any number of such contact elements may be assembled in block form such as the removable modules 19 and 20. Each of the contact elements 21 and 22 also encases a spring metal element or finger, such as shown at 23 in FIG. 1, adjacent the open or face end of the casing and disposed at a slight angle relative to the longitudinal axis of said casing so as to enter the open or face end of an oppositely disposed contact casing on a counterpart contact unit (not shown) for making sliding frictional contact with a similar finger in said oppositely disposed contact casing, when the coupler heads come together. When the counterpart contact units 3, and therefore modules 19 and 20, are thus engaged, contact-for-contact, the total friction between the several fingers 23 of the contact elements 21 and 22 is effective for locking said contact units in contact-making relationship. The same total friction also yieldingly resists separation of the engaged contact units 3 during uncoupling of the coupler heads, and is, therefore, effective in causing Said contact units to be separated with a snap action, thus minimizing electrical arcing between the contact fingers 23 at the instant of seapration.

The rear ends of each of the contact elements 21 and 22 are provided with recesses 24 and 25 for frictionally receiving the male projections 17 and 18, respectively, of the fixed block 11. Thus, the modules 19 and 20 may be readily installed or removed by frictionally forcing the contact elements 21 and 22 onto or withdrawing them from the projections 17 and 18.

As best seen in FIG. 2, a plurality of rods 26 are vertically and removably disposed, with their respective aXes in a common plane lying within the modules 19 and parallel to the faces thereof, and are spaced apart at intervals determined by respective bores 27 formed by registering semi-round recesses formed transversely on the outer abutting surfaces of adjacent casings of the contact elements 21. The rods 26 thus give rigidity to the modules 19, which as was above noted, are made up of a predetermined number of interlocked ocntact elements 21, said 4 rigidity being desirable in facilitating removal and replacement of said modules in the contact unit 3. The rods 26, which are placed in position as the modules 19 are assembled, are of slightly larger diameter than the bores 27 and are, therefore, firmly gripped against displacement when the module is in its assembled state.

The larger modules 20 are also provided with a plurality of rods 28 arranged in bores 29 in similar fashion as the rods 26 in the smaller modules 19 and for a similar purpose. Respective rods 30, disposed in each of the bores 29 adjacent the vertical extremities of modules 20, as viewed in FIG. 2, are longer than the rods 28 and 26 for a purpose to be hereinafter disclosed.

When the contact modules 19 and 20 are plugged into position on the base block 11, a lock frame 31, is placed in position in surrounding relation to the outer peripheral edges of the contact modules 19 and 20, and is secured to the support frame 12 by a plurality of screws 32 to thereby prevent accidental dislodgment of said modules during separation of the coupler heads. An integrally formed bar 33 extends vertically across the center of the lock frame 31 to rest against the inner adjacent peripheral edges of the modules 19 so as to provide further restraint thereof against dislodgement. When the modules 20 are in their installed positions on the block 11, the rods are so positioned relative to the support frame 12 and the lock frame 31 as to have the ends thereof extending through respective holes 34 formed half in said support frame and half in said lock frame, said holes thus being bisected by the line of separation of said frames indicated at 35 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). With the lock frame 31 secured in position by the screws 32 and with the ends of rods 30 extending into and through the holes 34, the modules 20, as well as the modules 19 are thus secured against displacement or removal until said lock frame is removed.

As shown in FIG. 1, cover plates 36, with properly spaced holes for accommodating the ends of rods 30, are disposed, both at top and bottom as viewed in FIG. 2, over the line of separation 35 between the support frame 12 and lock frame 31. Each end of the rods 30 is screwthreaded with a nut 37 secured thereon to prevent accidental axial displacement of said rods as well as to secure the plates 36 tightly against the frames 12 and 31 and thereby insure proper alignment of said frames relative to each other.

Thus, in the event it becomes necessary to replace any one or any number of the modules 19 or 20, it merely requires operating the protective cover 4 to its open position by applying axial force to the operating member 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 3. When the cover 4 has been operated to its open position, a wedge (not shown) or other suitable instrument can be inserted between the lower edge of casing 2 and the upper lip of protective cover 4 to hold said cover in its said open position while the defective module or modules are being replaced. With the cover 4 in its open position, the screws 32 holding the lock frame 31 are removed. The nuts 37 associated with the module or modules 20 to be replaced are removed in order that they may be placed on the rods 30 of the replacement module. The nuts 37 on any module 20 not to be replaced, however, merely need to be loosened, since the lock frame 31 may be slid out underneath the cover plates 36 not affected. The modules 19 do not have any support rods with nuts secured at the ends thereof and, therefore, can also be slid out underneath the plates 36. When the defective module or modules, either 19 or 20, have been manually Withdrawn and replaced with new modules, the lock frame 31 is resecured by the screws 32 to the support frame 12, all nuts 37 are tightened into position, and the cover 4 is released to its closed position.

The multiple contact unit shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, except that certain modifications provide means for Withdrawing the contact modules mechanically, rather than manually, when necessary, thereby facilitating the procedure.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the modified multiple contact unit 3 comprises the support frame 12 and, instead of the one-piece fixed contact block 11, is provided with fixed contact blocks 38 and 39 assembled from the larger type contact elements 22, above described. The contact blocks 38 and 39, to which the heavier train wires 7 are connected, are removably fixed on the support frame 12 in position for receiving the larger removable modules 20. Also removably fixed on the support frame 12 are fixed contact blocks 40 and 41, assembled from the smaller type contact elements 21, above defined, and to which the smaller train wires 6 are connected, said fixed contact blocks being positioned on said support frame for receiving the smaller removable modules 19.

The fixed contact blocks 38 and 39 are secured in fixed relation to the support frame 12 by a plurality of rods 42 extending vertically through said blocks with the opposite ends of said rods projecting into correspondingly located holes 43 formed in upper and lower plates 44 and 45, respectively, of said support frame, said upper and lower plates being best seen in FIG. 3. The fixed contact blocks 40 and 41 are secured in fixed relation to the support frame 12 by a plurality of rods 46 arranged in said contact blocks and in holes 47 in the upper and lower plates 44 and 45 in similar manner as the rods 42 in the contact blocks 38 and 39. The length of the rods 42 and 46 are such as to have the ends thereof flush with the outer surfaces of the upper and lower plates 44 and 45.

As in the multiple-contact unit shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the multiple contact unit shown in FIGS. 4 and is also provided with removable larger contact modules 48 and 49 and smaller contact modules 50 and 51, which are engaged with the fixed contact blocks 38, 39, 40 and 41, respectively. The larger modules 48, 49 and the smaller modules 50, 51 have pluralities of support rods 52 and 53, respectively, extending vertically therethrough, at spaced intervals, in respective pluralities of bores 54 and 55 formed in said modules similarly to the bores 27 and 29 formed in the modules 19 and 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The opposite ends of all the rods 52 and 53, however, extend into respective pluralities of correspondingly located holes 56 and 57 formed in upper and lower horizontal members 58 and 59, as viewed in FIGS. 5, of a lock frame 60, the length of said rods being such as to have the ends thereof flush with the outer surface of said horizontal members of said lock frame. The outer surfaces of the upper and lower horizontal members 58 and 59 of the lock frame 60 are slightly less than flush with the outer surfaces of the upper and lower plates 44 and 45, respectively, of the support frame 12 for a purpose hereinafter disclosed.

With the assembled contact modules 48, 49, 50 and 51 secured in the lock frame 60 by the rods 52 and 53, as above described, said modules and frame are secured in place, that is, with said modules frictionally engaged, contact-for-contact, with the fixed blocks 38, 39, 40 and 41, and with said frame secured to the face of the support frame 12 by a plurality of screws 61. It should be noted that the line of separation between the support frame 12 and lock frame 60, designated at =62 in FIG. 4, for obvious reasons, does not coincide with a line passing through the axes of support rods 52 and 53 as does the line of separation 35 which coincides with a line running through the axes of the rods 26 and 28 in the contact unit shown in FIG. 1.

Horizontally disposed cover plates 63 and 64 extending from side to side of the contact unit 3, are secured at each end to the support frame 12 by screws 65 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 4) at the top and bottom, respectively, of said contact unit with the front edges of said cover plates coinciding with the face edge of said contact unit. The cover plates 63 and 64 are of such width as to cover the top and bottom ends, respectively, of all the support rods 42, 46, 52 and 53 to thereby prevent inadvertent axial displacement of said support rods.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lock frame 60 is provided with screw-threaded holes 66 and 67 extending through each vertical side member 68 and 69, respectively, said screw-threaded holes being disposed in perpendicular relation to the face of the support frame 12.

If it becomes necessary to change one or more of the modules 48, 49, .50 or 51, the screws 61 securing the lock frame 60 to the support frame 12 are removed. Though not required to be so, but for purposes of convenience, the screw threads in the screw-threaded holes 66 are the same dimension as the threads on the screws 61. Two of the screws 61, may be used and are screwed into the holes 66, as shown in FIG. 6. As the screws 61 are screwed into the holes 66, the threaded ends of said screws abut against a face 70 on each of the vertical sides of the support frame 12, and further turning of said screws causes the lock frame 60, with the modules 48, 49, 50, and 51 carried thereby, to be pulled away from said support frame and out of the contact unit 3. The means thus described for withdrawing the contact modules 48, 49, 50 and 51 provides mechanical facilities for easily overcoming the total frictional resistance between the contact elements 21 and 22 making up said modules and the fixed blocks, such as 11 or 38, 39, 40 and 41, on which they are engaged. It should be noted that since the cover plates 63 and 64 are secured directly to the support frame 12, it is not necessary to remove said cover plates when withdrawing the lock frame 60 and the modules 48, 49, 50 and 51 attached thereto, because there is sufiicient clearance between said cover plates (which are not quite flush with the upper and lower plates 44 and 45, respectively, of the support frame 12) and the horizontal members 58 and 59 of said lock frame to allow removal Without interference.

With the lock frame 60 and the attached modules 48, 49, 50 and 51, removed from the contact unit 3, the support rods of the module to be replaced, as for example the support rods 52 of module 48, are withdrawn so that the module is free for removal from the lock frame. When the new module 48 is placed into position in the lock frame 60, the rods 52 are replaced. The lock frame 60 and the attached modules are then reinstalled in the contact unit 3 and the screws 61 are replaced.

The entire operation, therefore, of changing a damaged contact module can be accomplished, in one or the other of the methods above described, without removing the electrical connecting portion 1 from the car coupler.

Having now described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An electrical multiple-contact unit for an automatic railway car coupled including a mating head havlng an electrical connecting portion with an open end disposed in facing relation to an open end of an electrical connecting portion on a counterpart mating head, said multiple-contact unit comprising the combination of:

(a) a support member mounted in the electrical connecting portion; and

(b) an electrical multiple-contact block fixed on said support member perpendicularly to the car axis; wherein the improvement comprises:

(0) electrical multiple-contact means manually installable on said block, in contact-to-contact relation, through the open end of the connecting portion in an operative position for electrically engaging similarly disposed electrical multiple-contact means carried on the counterpart mating head, said multiple-contact means being manually removable through the open end of the connecting portion; and

(d) means removably secured to said support memher for retaining said multiple-contact means in its said operative position.

2. An electrical multiple-contact unit, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said electrical multiple-contact means comprises a plurality of contact modules each having a predetermined number of contact elements thereon, said contact modules being symmetrically arranged, in the operative position, on opposite sides of the vertical axis of the electrical connecting portion.

3. An electrical multiple-contact unit, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said contact elements each comprises a female portion at one end engageable with a plurality of male elements provided on said multiple-contact block and arranged therein in a pattern corresponding to that of the contact elements on said modules.

4. An electric multiple-contact unit, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said means removably secured to said support member comprises a lock frame securable to said support member through the open end of the electrical connecting portion for peripherally engaging and retaining said contact modules in said operative position.

5. An electrical multiple-contact unit, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said lock frame is removable independently of said contact modules.

6. An electrical multiple-contact unit, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said contact modules are removably anchored to said lock frame and removable therewith from said support frame and said multiple-contact unit.

7. An electrical multiple-contact unit, as set forth in claim 6, further characterized by means for mechanically Withdrawing said lock frame and the contact modules anchored thereto from said multiple-contact block.

8. An electrical connecting portion for an automatic car coupler including a mating head for connection to a counterpart mating head, said electrical connecting portion comprising the combination of:

(a) a casing supported on the mating head and having an open end disposed in facing relation to the open end of the electrical connecting portion casing of the counterpart mating head;

(b) a support frame slidably mounted in said casing with limited reciprocal spring-cushioned axial movement parallel to the longitudinal axis of the car;

() a multiple-contact block carried on said support frame in fixed relation thereto and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the car; and

(d) a plurality of contact elements connectable to the train wires and arranged on said multiple-contact block in a predetermined pattern on the side of said block facing the open end of said casing; wherein the improvement comprises:

(e) a plurality of contact modules each having a plurality of contact elements arranged thereon in corresponding pattern of respective portions of the contact elements on said multiple-contact block, said contact modules being manually installable on said respective portions of said block through said open end of the casing, in an operative position in which the respective contact elements on said block and on said modules are in frictional engagement, contact-for-eontact, and said modules may frictionally engage similarly disposed multiple-contact modules mounted on the counterpart mating head, said modules also being manually removable through said open end of the casing; and

(f) a lock frame removably securable to said support frame through said open end of the casing for peripherally engaging and retaining said modules in the operative position.

9. An electrical connecting portion for an automatic car coupler, as set forth in claim 8, wherein said contact modules are anchored to said lock frame and removable therewith.

10. An electrical connecting portion for an automatic car coupler, as set forth in claim 9, further characterized by means for mechanically separating said lock frame from said support frame and forcibly overcoming the frictional resistance between the several contact elements on the block and the modules to cause withdrawal 'of said lock frame and the modules anchored thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,453,817 5/1923 Westinghouse 213-1.3 3,263,823 8/1966 Gobrecht 2.131.6- 3,385,454 5/1968 Jeffrey et a1. 2l3-1.3 3,472,396 10/1969 Frill 213-l.3

DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner 

